The Seven-year Itch Divorced From Basketball For 7 Years, Jo Jo White Returns - To Cba

NBA

November 20, 1987|By WILLIAM C. RHODEN, New York Times

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Jo Jo White celebrated his 41st birthday Monday, but there was no cake, no candles and no party to mark the occasion. His wife had flown in from their home in Rochester, N.Y., Sunday, but returned Monday morning.

So White, the former Boston Celtics star, celebrated by going through two grueling practice sessions as a player-assistant coach with the Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association.

At an age when most athletes have either stopped chasing or quit living the dream, White, who had been a standout at nearby University of Kansas, is reviving a career that supposedly ended seven years ago.

``The reporters and everybody jumped on it as a comeback,`` White said Monday. ``I never even thought about it in those terms -- as coming back. I wanted to play, I still have a burning desire to compete. The Sizzlers gave me an opportunity, so here I am. People read more into it than what`s there.``

Before the question was asked, White said he wasn`t bankrupt.

``I know that`s the first thing people say: `Wow, he must need money.` But money has nothing to do with it,`` White said.

White said he, his wife and their five children live comfortably in Rochester and that he ``owns property in seven states.``

``The most I made as a pro was $800,000 a year, and that was during the `60`s and `70`s,`` White said. ``I made sure the necessary things for my family were taken care of first. I never did play for the money. I played because I loved the game.``

In practice, White appears to be the same player who sparked the Celtic fast break. His jump shot from the top of the key is still deadly -- at least in practice.

It is only when White stands next to a teammate, such as Lloyd Daniels, that the irony of his presence here hits home.

The Sizzlers` backcourt consists of White, who was once an NBA All-Star, and Daniels, a once-heralded 20-year-old from Brooklyn.

Daniels is 21 years younger than White -- only six years older than White`s oldest son -- and he, too, is making a comeback of sorts from scholastic and legal problems.

Daniels, who several years ago was considered to be one of the nation`s better high school players, has had a checkered career. He played for four New York City high schools without graduating from any. In 1986, he enrolled at a junior college in California to play basketball and undergo heavy tutoring, but he never played for the team. Daniels left the junior college after one semester and enrolled at the University of Neveda-Las Vegas after that school`s recruiting coordinator, Mark Warkentien, became his legal guardian. He hoped to play for the Rebels this season.

Last February, any chance Daniels had to play at Las Vegas ended when he was arrested on charges of possessing a controlled substance. Daniels, who was not convicted of a crime, was ordered to undergo a rehabilitation program.

John Killilea, the Sizzlers` coach, contacted Daniels` lawyer and arranged for the player to undergo his program at a hospital in Topeka and then signed him to a one-year contract.

``It`s mind-boggling, it really is, but it`s kind of fun and definitely out of the ordinary,`` said Killilea of his backcourt. ``I`m going to start Lloyd at the point.``

The coach said he could use White to settle the youngster down ``if the kid starts to get wild or loses his concentration.``

White said that Daniels was the most talented young player he had seen, but he needed discipline.

``He`ll go off sometimes,`` White said, with a chuckle, ``and he`s the guy with the ball. If the point guard goes off on his own, then the rest of the team is going to start going off, too. He`s in a position now where he`s got to keep everybody else happy and yet still do his thing. That`s hard.``

White has already had an impact on Daniels` work habits. ``I`ll stay after practice and he`ll work with me on different parts of my game,`` Daniels said. ``I`m working harder.``

The NBA said Daniels would be eligible for the draft next spring, but he said he would wait longer. ``I`m going to stay here for two years because I need it. There`s a lot I need to learn. I`m excited about playing. I made some mistakes, hung around with the wrong people. That`s in the past, it`s behind me now, nothing I can do about it but learn from my mistakes.``

A no-nonsense type like White may be what Daniels needs. White played 10 seasons with the Celtics and helped take the team to NBA championships in 1974 and 1976.

Even though White openly admires Daniels, he said he has seen enough players with great potential fizzle to know that Daniels was at a critical juncture in his life.

``He doesn`t really understand the seriousness of what he has or where he is yet,`` said White. ``He wants to be something, he really does, but he doesn`t exactly know the price you have to pay. Part of my obligation is trying to help him understand the price that he`s got to pay.